Music-holder and leaf-turner.



w. e. LOGKE. v MUSIC HOLDER AND LEAF TURNER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1'7 1908.

Patented Sept. 14,1909.

8 SHEETSSHEET 1.

I lvwwm W. G. LOCKE. MUSIC HOLDER. AND LEAF TURNER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17, 1908.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

3 SHEETS-11331 2.

r l ulvwa wtoz Witnesses W. G. LOGKE.

MUSIC HOLDER AND LEAF TURNER.

APPLIOATION FILED K0117, 190s.

0mm N ma W a S S m 3 0 m N Q l x Q &\. NH w. u MM \mww W... V m K. mm SK w p k N kfl 3 v N A, N: 3 9 MY atbo uwq UNITED STATES PATEN "i WILLIAM G. LOGKE, OF OXFORD, MAINE.

MUSIC-HOLDER AND LEAF-TURNER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. Looxn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oxford, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music-Holders and Leaf- Turners, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to a combined music holder and leaf turner of that type in which the leaves of the music can be turned in successive order by means controlled through pedals arranged conveniently within reach of the musician seated at the instrument being played.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture, capable of being readily applied to a piano or other instrument, and convenient to manipulate.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a music holder having swinging arms equipped with catches or clasps for engaging the leaves to be turned, in con nection with gravity-acting devices adapted to be independently released for permitting the arms and leaves to be turned.

A further object of the invention is the employment of a pedal mechanism for releasing the gravity-actuated devices so that the sheets of music can be turned by one foot of the performer and without requiring the use of the hand.

With these objects in View and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piano having a grooved music holder and a leaf turner applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the piano. Fig. 3 is an end view of a piano with the apparatus applied. I Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the music board or rest with the attached parts. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the leaf-turning arms. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional View of the music board or rest. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of one of the pedal-actu ated detents or releasing devices.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 17, 1908.

Patented Sept. 1 1-, 1909..

Serial No. 463,027.

Similar reference characters are employed .to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

, In the present instance, I have elected to illustrate my combined music-holder and leaf-turner as applied to an upright piano,

but it is to be understood that the apparatus L-shaped arm 2 that extends over the top of the piano and down along the rear side thereof so as to support the board in proper position. The board is preferably provided with a covering 3 of plush or other suitable material, as shown in Fig. ('3, the color of the covering being in harmony with the color of the piano casing.

On the front side of the board 1 are three spaced upwardly extending fingers 4 that have their lower ends bent rearwardly and embedded in the board, whereby the fingers are supported in spaced relation so that the music can be placed between the fingers and board and rest on the inturned extremities 5 of the fingers. Adjacent the top of the board is a bracket 6 on which are hingedly mounted independently movable arms 7 provided with downwardly-extending clips or catches 8 for taking hold of the leaves of music to be turned. The free extremities of the arms terminate in eyes 9 for attachment with flexible elements or cords 10 by which the arms are turned. These flexible elements pass through series of eyes or loops 11 and 12 on the upper left-hand corner of the board 1, the eyes of the first series being arranged in line with the arms 7, while the series 12 are disposed vertically above the first series. From the upper guiding eyes 12, the cords pass over pulleys 13 mounted on the top edge of the board 1, thence over the top of the piano casing, and pass around pulleys 14 arranged at the back portion of the piano from which the cords depend. The ends of the cords are provided with weights 16 that serve to turn the arms 7. In addition to the cords 10, another cord 17 is provided that passes parallel with the other cords and through guiding eyes and pulleys, but instead of attaching to a leafturner arm, it is provided with a clip or catch 18 for engaging the middle of the first leaf of the music, the said cord 17 passing through a guide eye it) at the left-hand edge of the board 1 for enabling the cord to pull in a. horizontal direction during turning of the first leaf. On each cord at a point above the weight to is a supplemental weight 20 that cooperates with a pedalactuated release for permitting the weights to drop when it is desired to turn music leaves.

Arranged under the piano casing and at one side of the pedals 21 are independently actuated pedals for the music leaf turner. These pedals extend from the front to the rear and are normally held in raised position by springs as shown in Fig. 3. The rear ends of the pedals 22 are connected with vertiCally-extending connecting rods 2% that operate bell-crank levers 25, the said levers being fulcrumed on a bracket 20 extending from the rear side of the casing. This bracket, as shown in Fig. 7, has an opening 27 through which the members 20 pass in a vertical direction, the members being pointed at their upper and lower ends so as to freely pass through the openings. Each bell-c -ank lever has a locking pin 28 or equivalent means movable horizontally in the bracket 26 and which is adapted to engage the adj a cent member 20 to hold the weights 16 in raised position. By this arrangement, when any one of the pedals is depressed, the pin 28 is drawn backwardly out of the path of the member 20 so that the combined influence of the weights l6 and 20 will cause a draft to be exerted on the cord to which they are attached, and swings its respective leafturning arm 7 through half a revolution. As soon as the pedal is released the pin 28 will return to its normal position by the action of the spring 23 operating on the pedal. By shaping the supplemental weights in the manner shown, the music-turning arms can be returned to their initial position without the pins 28 interfering, since the weights will slip under the pins. \Vhen it is desired to turn the music back for the purpose of repetition, the arms 7 can be swung from the left to the right by hand if desired, and by taking hold of the lowermost arm 7, all of the arms will turn together. The arms, however, are capable of being turned singly for the purpose of repeating only a portion of the music.

In practice, the sheet or other music is placed on the board or rest 1 with the outer or cover leaves of the music disposed behind the end fingers t after the music has been opened, the music being alone engaged behind the central finger. The several clips 8 and 18 are then attached to the leaves of the music, and by pressing the levers 22, beginning first with the left, the leaves of the music can be turned in successive order.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention, appertains, and while IV have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired, as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a music holder compris ing a plate, members thereon for receiving the music, arms mounted on the plate and arranged to swing in a horizontal plane, an L-shaped member extending rearwardly from the plate and adapted to engage over the top and behind the back of a piano for supporting the holder in place, flexible elements each connected with a swinging arm, means on the plate for guiding the elements, said elements being of sufficient length to extend over the top of the piano and down the back thereof, pull devices connected with the elements and disposed behind the piano, at plu rality of means for releasably opposing the tension of the pull devices, and a pedalactuated device for releasing each means.

In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a plate, vertically-disposed members having their lower ends connected with the plate and between which and the plate the music is held, a plurality of swinging arms mounted on the plate at a point above the upper extremities of the said members, means for supporting the plate on a musical instrument, flexible elements connected with the arms, guiding means for the flexible elements, weights connected with the elements for turning the said arms, devices for releasably holding the weights in raised position, and pedal-actuated means for re leasing the said devices independently.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supporting plate, a member for attaching the same to a musical instrument, said member having a rearwardly-extending portion and a depending portion at the rear extremity of the firs mentioned portion, leaf-turning arms mounted on the plate, flexible elements connected with the arms, guiding means for the flexible elements, pull devices connected with the elements, and pedal-operated means for controlling the said devices.

at. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality of leaf-turning arms mounted thereon, clips on the arms for engaging the leaves to be turned, flexible elements con nccted with the arms, an additional flexible element, a device on the last-mentioned element for engaging a leaf to be turned, means on the structure for guiding the elements, pull devices connected with the elements, and pedal-released means for controlling the pull devices.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality of leaf-turning arms, flexible ele ments connected With the arms, means for guiding the elements, main Weights connected with the elements, auxiliary Weights connected with the elements at points above the main Weights, devices for releasably engaging the auxiliary Weights for preventing the weights from turning the elements, and pedal-actuated means for releasing the said devices.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality of leaf-turning arms mounted thereon, flexible elements connected With the arms, main and auxiliary Weights attached to the elements, a supporting member, bell crank levers mounted on the member, devices connected With the levers for engaging the auxiliary Weights to prevent the arms from turning, pedals, and connections between the pedals and bell crank levers.

In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM G. LOCKE.

Witnesses GEORGE I-IAznN, CHARLES F. DURELL. 

